Packin’ a Pocket Pistol

The concealed carry market in Michigan has exploded, literally over the last ten years. Estimates show that around 50,000 residents have obtained a CCW over this last decade.

Now getting a permit and carrying a gun are two different things. You have to change how you dress and what you do when you carry a gun. Recently the pocket pistol market has drastically increased as well. I’m not talking about .22 Caliber Derringers. I’m talking about semi auto and revolvers with barrels of 2.5 inches or less. Ruger LCP, Smith and Wesson Bodyguard series, etc.

You might ask what the purpose is of such as gun, especially one so small. But the .380 caliber does pack a punch, especially with self-defense rounds. And they are easy to conceal…Especially in light clothing. Even in Michigan, the summers can get HOT. And personally I like to wear shorts and T-shirt during those times. It’s not the most practical thing to put my full size SR9 on my belt when I make a run to home depot now is it. That thing would stick out like a sore thumb. But the Bodyguard .380 fits comfortably in the cargo pocket of my shorts, and doesn’t print at all.

Conceal-ability and protection, what are your thoughts?

Home on the Range….Or a Range at Home

As I have stated, we recently moved to the country. And when you move from a postage stamp to more than 15 acres, the possibilities are endless for time well wasted. One of the things that I had always wanted was a shooting range at home. Now, let me be clear. Anyone who is looking to shoot guns on their own range better be darn sure that what they are shooting is not going to end up in their neighbor’s
kitchen window……

I am fortunate in that my front porch sits on a hill above the yard around my house. So it is somewhat like sitting in tree stand in the sense that you are elevated above the yard, and it makes for a good shooting range. I ended up placing the targets at the bottom of the hill, and by shooting from an elevated position, the backstop ended up being the ground, as normally happens when you shoot from a tree stand.

I took some old logs from a downed tree and nailed homemade paper plate targets. I also setup some clay target on an old pallet laying around. About 10 yards out and it was perfect for handgun and to try out my new Mossberg 500 “Special Purpose” shotgun.

The day was great, and the range at home was an exciting and fun thing to experience.

Does anyone have other ideas for how to setup a range at home?

A hunting we will go….. or not!

Last week I took a day off and planned to meet some buddies at a nearby pheasant farm to do some bird hunting. I was glad I just had a day to spend with friends in the fields.

I was about 10 minutes away when I got a call from my buddy saying we might not be able to go hunting because we didn’t have a dog. “Huh??” was my response. Now I knew that a dog would make the hunt more successful, but I thought we could still have fun and kick up some pheasants without a dog. Little did I know that pen raised pheasants don’t really know how to “fly away” when tracked and hunted; they would actually run instead. The only way to hunt them was to have a dog quickly flush them out and make them fly.

When I arrived, the ownwer, said he wanted us to hunt, but also wanted us to be able to get the birds. I was grateful, because he was charging $20 for each bird……

So we took off, one of our friends vowed to be back later that week with a dog and do some hunting. We ended up on a farm hunting rabbit and squirrel. All I had was my 12 gauge……..Can you imagine what would have happened to the rabbit.

We got nothing that day, but we say a couple squirrels, one rabbit, and one awesome eight point buck. And I wasn’t sitting at my desk. Deer season anyone??

Have you had any hunting trips start out slow, but end up having a great time?

Home Defense Shotgun

When we moved to the country, someone told me “You need to get a shotgun”.  And they were talking
about the home defense kind.   Of course when you move you have to pay for other things first, like movers, decorations
and as my wife says “man toys”; like a tractor.

Anyway, I did not really see the “need” for the home defense shotgun as I kept a pistol by the bed and a few others around the house.  But, I came into a little extra cash and decided to go shopping.  I had heard that Dunhams had a Mossberg 500 “Special Purpose” on sale so I decided to go check
it out.  I have come to the conclusion that “Special Purpose” is like one step below “Tactical”.  The gun didn’t have a pistol grip, it only
held five shells, and didn’t have ghost sights. In other words, it was a no frills; sit in the corner of the room, home
defense shotgun.  And it was $297, I’ll take it!

I got it home and a friend had come over to shoot a bit that day.  So we loaded up the Mossberg and started shooting.  Function was
fantastic, and it operated very well.  We shot bird and buck shot without issues, and the action was very smooth for a
brand new shot gun.  The one option, A barrel heat shield, did a fine job of keeping your hands away from a hot barrel.  As my friend commented “That is
one bad ass shotgun”.

You can buy a magazine extension, but then you would also need to buy the 20 inch barrel.   You could buy ghost rings sights, but then you would have to remove the heat shield.  I was thinking about this, and if something goes bump in the night, and you need more than five shells of 00
buck, you have bigger problems, literally. Of course, if you’re like me and you still want to be “prepared” you can always have a handgun and a holster at the ready.

So, at the end of the day, if you are looking for no frills, sit in the corner of the room, home defense shotgun for a reasonable price, this is hard to beat.

What are your thougts on a home defense shotgun???

So I sold my truck and I’m buying a Gun….

So you are probably thinking this a truly expensive gun because I’m selling my truck….Truth be told the truck is an old beater. And I’m not selling it, a co-worker is and his is buying his first pistol. The question is what he should buy. He owns rifles and shotguns, so he’s looking for something go to the range with and maybe as home protection.
There are so many choices on the market today; it can be truly difficult to decide. However, there are a couple things to consider that will make the decision easier.
1) Purpose – Primarily Target and home protection, so a full size should be fine
2) Caliber – Because of the home protection aspect, I suggest 9mm or higher.
3) Ease of use – First pistol, needs to be easy to use. Point and shoot.

Looking at all of these factors, I’d say a semi-automatic, DAO polymer handgun is the way to go. So the now you still have quite a choice to make. The obvious choice is a Glock, and it is a good gun. But some Glocks can get expensive, and don’t include many extra’s. I’m partial to Ruger’s SR9. It is cheap, easy to operate, comes with an extra mag, and is made in the USA. But there is also the Springfield XDm and the Smith and Wesson M&P. Both come with extra’s and are relatively less expensive than a Glock. With the extra cash, my co-worker could by something he will need now that he owns a pistol; ammo.

However, all four are extremely easy to operate, and as I said before, a Glock is fine handgun.

One other benefit to all four of these; their compact and sub-compact versions all function the same way, huge bonus….

What are your thoughts on a first handgun?

A Bodygaurd for Christmas

So my wife wanted one, and I went out and bought it for Christmas. By the way, bad idea, even if your wife says she wants a gun, she does not want it for Christmas……..Anyway, I found that MichiGun in St. Clair Shores has the best prices on them. They had it for $100-$150 less than many other places. So I bought her the .380 pistol with the integrated laser. She was looking for something with more punch than a .22 but did not like my compact 9mm. Still have not shot it yet, waiting for her to go with me…It is her present after all. I’ll post again when we have some range results

SR40

Just read Bart Skelton’s review of the Ruger SR40 in Shooting Times. The reviews sound promissing. Now I just have to get my hands on one and try it out. Add something to Christmas list. Maybe Santa will find one for me. Ok Ruger, next on the list is the 45 ACP, you’ve got to marry up the SR platform to the 45. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, an SR45C would be a great gun. Merry Christmas all

1911….Still the best 45

Went to the range this weekend, and put a few rounds through an old Llama 1911A1 that I bought a few years back. Now Llama is not Colt, or Kimber. In fact what I own is GI spec 1911A1. But, it is still a tack driver, and that is why I love it. I like it better than my Glock 30. I know why so many people still love the 1911. Because it truely is one of the best pistol designs out there.

There’s nothing compact about the SR9c.

One recent weekend, my dad and I decided to hit the range and shoot a few rounds. But I had another reason to be excited that day. A guy that works at my local range/gun shop had given me a call and said they had finally gotten a couple Ruger SR9c’s in. I had read the articles on it, and was dying to get my hands on one. I own a full size SR9 and like its slim profile and natural point ability. To make things even better, the range had one in their rental counter. So I could shoot it before I bought it. How awesome is that! I put about 150 rounds through it, and shot it side by side with my CZ RAMI P 2075. Ruger took the SR9 and cut down the grip by about an inch and the barrel by about .7 inches. It’s a compact, not a sub-compact (like the CZ). They also improved the trigger on the SR9c. When I bought my SR9 about two years ago, I had to have the trigger smoothed out on it. The SR9c was smooth and crisp to begin with. Other than that, it is basically the same thing as the SR9, safety, mag release, and takedown.

Where I really think that Ruger hit it big is the fact that the supply you with many common items you would have to buy as “add on” if you bought something else. For example you not only get a 10 round flush fit magazine, but you get a pinky finger collar. You also get a 17 round magazine and a magazine collar as well. (Note: The 17 round magazine also fits the standard SR9). All this for less than $500 retail.

When I was looking at the SR9c at the shop, I noticed right next to it an “SR40”. Really….Ruger has taken the platform and modified it to work with the 40 cal S &W. Fantastic….. Although, what would top that is the SR45…Change that; SR45c

The bolt action rifle – picking the right one

So a few months back my buddy and I were sitting on the patio drinking a beer when he blurted out, “Let’s go hunting this year”.  Now he had been many times but me, not once.  However, it sounded fun.  There was one major issue….I didn’t have a hunting rifle.  So for the next couple of weeks I scoured the internet trying to find one.  I also talked with quite a few people who were experienced hunters.  I heard two overwhelming things from them.  1. Go with a .308 Winchester or 30-06 Springfield.   2.  Savage is a good, inexpensive gun.  I finally decided on the .30-06 only because of the versatility of the round and the different bullet weights available (150 -210 – based on what I could find anyway).

Now off to find a rifle.  This is the fun part, and the hard part.  There are so many to choose from that will chamber a .30-06.  But again, I did not want to spend all my money.  So I started looking at “Combos”(A combination rifle and scope).  Some may say you should stay away from Combos because the scopes aren’t worth the tax you pay when you buy the rifle, but I was intrigued nonetheless.  They couldn’t be all that bad if most major manufacturers offered some sort of combo deal, and they are specifically packaged for the shooter new to hunting.  Back to the part about Savage being a good gun.  I finally found one at a local Dunham’s.  The model 111 was chambered in .30-06 with a Bushnell scope.  I started talking to the sales guy and telling him the story about finding a good rifle.  He offered me an additional $50 off based on the newspaper add.  I was practically sold, but wanted to be sure so I asked to see many more.   After about a half hour, I came back to the Savage 111.  With the discounted price well below MSRP and the good things I had heard about it, it was hard to pass up, so I bought it.  Out the door with the rifle, scope and a hard case, I had spent less than $400.  That’s not bad  for a brand new rifle and scope.

About a month goes by and I have yet to try out my new rifle.  My friend is over again, and we decided to hit the local range.  This process being new to me, I let my buddy take the lead.  He fires off a group which is a few inches left, and about 2 inches high.  He shows me how to adjust the scope for windage (Left to Right).  But we leave the group high because the range only goes to 75 yards.  So at 150 yards, the rifle would be dead on.  I take the rifle, set the target, and get to work.  I was amazed at how accurate it was for such an inexpensive rifle.  We made one adjustment to the scope and we were right on the money…. for not alot of money.

The rifle handled well in other areas too.  The bolt is smooth, the detachable box magazine convenient, and recoil was very manageable.  I know that some people may say, yeah great, but the stock is synthetic.  Yes, wood is beautiful, but you also need more of it to handle recoil, meaning the rifle is about 2- 2.5 lbs heavier.  In addition, wood is not impervious to the elements like synthetic is.  For a first time rifle, I’ll take the synthetic.

So… A great day at the range, a new rifle, cash in my pocket…..Does it get any better?